I have had this one for 5 1/2 weeks now, it's well acclimated- if nothing else. I got it from Matt Andrews at Tom's Caribbean Tropicals, he had it labeled briareus or vulgaris. I waited this long to journal it because I was worried that it will turn out to be a brooding joubini- it reminds me a lot of that one I had a few years ago.
I couldn't tell if it is male of female when it was acclimating. I should have gotten more pics, but I couldn't guess that it was never going to come out of that barnacle! I put it in the bucket during acclimation, and it hasn't come out (in front of me) since. It has eye "flaps" under it's eyes, it sits there and watches out from that den all day long. Sometimes it holds a shell up in front of it's den like a door, and it keeps it's arms up over it's eyes like a merc, but it's way too big for that. It has the blue sheen like you see in briareus, and it has red bands on it's arms. One shot here is of the back of it's head, with arm wrapped around. I was worried I'd see eggs in it's mantle, but I didn't see anything. The only thing I'm sure of is that it's growing, and it will have to come out sooner or later because it's going to be too big for it soon. Unless it's a brooding jobbing...
It doesn't like "shrimp on a stick," but does like hermit crabs. It will hoard shell until there isn't any more room, then throw shells out when it runs out of room. It hangs farthest out of it's den after dark and in the morning until 9 or so.
I couldn't tell if it is male of female when it was acclimating. I should have gotten more pics, but I couldn't guess that it was never going to come out of that barnacle! I put it in the bucket during acclimation, and it hasn't come out (in front of me) since. It has eye "flaps" under it's eyes, it sits there and watches out from that den all day long. Sometimes it holds a shell up in front of it's den like a door, and it keeps it's arms up over it's eyes like a merc, but it's way too big for that. It has the blue sheen like you see in briareus, and it has red bands on it's arms. One shot here is of the back of it's head, with arm wrapped around. I was worried I'd see eggs in it's mantle, but I didn't see anything. The only thing I'm sure of is that it's growing, and it will have to come out sooner or later because it's going to be too big for it soon. Unless it's a brooding jobbing...
It doesn't like "shrimp on a stick," but does like hermit crabs. It will hoard shell until there isn't any more room, then throw shells out when it runs out of room. It hangs farthest out of it's den after dark and in the morning until 9 or so.